On top of being the first K-pop act to hold a solo concert in France and being recognized as the only Korean group to have been invited to perform in four South American countries, Super Junior has now become the only K-pop group to hold 100 solo concerts as part of a concert series.

This year’s “Super Show 6” world tour kicked off on Friday with the K-pop group hosting three separate solo shows at the Jamsil Indoor Stadium in Seoul, attracting a total of around 25,000 fans.

On Sunday, thousands of local fans flocked to Jamsil to celebrate and witness 10 active members of Super Junior performing their 100th “Super Show” solo concert, the first Korean act to ever achieve such a feat.

“It took us eight years to reach this 100th show accomplishment,” said Kyuhyun, during a press conference at the stadium held prior to the concert.

“For me, I always have my eyes set high, so I would say that one of the goals I want for Super Junior is for us to be able to celebrate our 1,000th solo concert,” he continued. “I realize this will probably take us 90 years to complete, but if we can just keep ourselves healthy, let’s do it.” 

Since launching its first “Super Show” tour in 2008, Super Junior has performed in 26 cities around the world including London, Paris, Lima, Santiago, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires and almost every major city in Asia.

As part of their world tour series over the past eight years, the members have become the first K-pop group to travel approximately 415,832 km -― equating to 10 full trips around the globe, according to a statement from SM Entertainment.

“It’s unbelievable to think that we have taken our show to so many countries over the years to the point where we could have made 10 trips around the world ― a first in Korea,” said group leader Lee Teuk. “But we are not done yet.

“What do you think guys?” Lee turned and asked his fellow group mates. “Think maybe we can reach 50 times around the world?”

So what are some the secrets behind the “Super Show” concert brand’s tremendous international success, attracting 1.38 million concert goers and counting?

“I think we still have this image of being an idol group, but people who come to our shows find out that there’s a lot more to us that that,” says Shindong. “Sometimes after performing shows, we are all curious and we searched for people’s comments online and on blogs, and that’s one of the main things I’ve noticed people commenting on ― our concert was a lot more fun and exciting than expected.”

“Whenever we tour around the world, I always make it a point to ask our local guide why they think Super Junior is particularly popular in their country. ... And for the most part people tell us it’s because of our friendly demeanor,” Kangin added.

Super Junior will head to Japan next month to perform two shows at the elite Tokyo Dome on Oct. 29 and 30.

By Julie Jackson (juliejackson@heraldcorp.com)